Preliminary Studies on the Buhhdism Sub-Sect of Vinh Xuong Buu Son Ky Huong in Tan Chau, An Giang

Abstract

The Buu Son Ky Huong religious sect (BSKH – Strange Fragrance from the Precious Mountains) was originated in An Giang in 1849, then it spread to many parts of the Southwest.  Since the death of Doan Minh Huyen, the founder of BSKH, the sect developed in small scale and gradually declined due to many reasons. However, in the early decades of the twentieth century, BSKH was re-established from lineage believers. The re-established BSKH later had many different names and was identified as a religious subsect derived from the BSKH founded by Doan Minh Huyen. The typical representing sect of BSKH established afterward is the one in Vinh Xuong, known as Vinh Xuong BSKH, Buddhist Vinh Xuong BSKH, or Vinh Xuong BSKH sect. In order to distinguish and compare the characteristics of BSKH to others through different stages, in this article, we temporarily use the term original BSKH to refer to the BSKH founded and handed down to the future generation by Doan Minh Huyen. As for the BSKH sub-sects formed later, we use the names identified by the follower community as that of Vinh Xuong BSKH. Regarding Vinh Xuong BSKH, there have been two studies in the past, however, they only stopped at some issues of historical summary, so we realize that further research is needed. Therefore, this article presents our study on the establishment history of sub-sects, doctrinal thoughtss, characteristics of worship, annual worship ceremonies of Vinh Xuong BSKH as the fundamental basis for comparison with the original BSKH.